Tulsa World: A capital idea - Mayor Cornett puts OKC on diet

January 3, 2008
by Editorial
Tulsa World

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett is all for expanding his city's economy, its entertainment attractions, its quality of life. But he draws the line at residents further expanding their girth. So, Cornett is putting the city on a diet. Cornett says his New Year's resolution for the city, which has the ninth highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, is for residents to collectively lose one million pounds. Cornett's challenge is voluntary. No one is being made to lose weight. Cornett is offering a helping hand. By using a new interactive Web site -- cf,fgc www.tulsaworld. com/okcdietcf,ceno -- participants can track their weight loss and calculate their Body Mass Index as well as see how residents as a whole are doing. The site also features information about nutrition, exercise and how to set weight loss goals. According to the Trust for America's Health, Oklahoma has another unfortunate statistic: It ranks 17th in the nation in its incidence of obesity for children ages 10 to 17. Annually, the associated costs of obesity are high, adding $93 billion to the nation's medical bill. Each year, 112,000 people die from obesity-related causes, and the condition is responsible for an increased risk of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

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